Leadership Trends: The ABC of 2023

When it comes to thriving in the midst of economic uncertainty, fostering a culture that understands and accounts for the human experience–allowing for autonomy, beating out burnout, and calling for collaboration–is the best way forward. Here are the top three leadership trends to look out for in 2023.

It is a challenging time to be a leader. Rising inflation, talent scarcity, and supply chain volatility are driving leaders to reassess their priorities when it comes to the employee experience. What began as a dissociated employee-employer relationship, and eventually shifted to allow for slight personal connection, now needs to evolve into human-centric leadership if companies want to thrive in an ever-competitive market. Leaders looking to retain their talent and drive innovation would do well to center their strategies around the ABC of 2023: Autonomy, Burnout, and Collaboration.

Allow for Autonomy

Forget flexibility–this year is all about talent autonomy. While the terms are often used interchangeably, flexibility and autonomy have very different implications. In fact, without a foundation of autonomy, flexibility just becomes another Future of Work buzzword that fails to deliver.

When talent talks about autonomy in the context of hybrid work, they are essentially referring to being the ‘primary decision-maker of where and when they do their work.’ Leaders looking to incorporate autonomy into their working model should avoid caveating contracts with requirements on the where, when, and how of work and focus on fostering a human-centric leadership style based on mutual empowerment. This means listening to your talent and co-creating a working format that serves everyone.

Lest we forget, autonomy is one of the basic psychological needs that facilitates or undermines human motivation. Leaders focused on increasing engagement, retaining talent, and driving innovation will benefit greatly from developing strategies that prioritize and allow for autonomy.

Beat Out Burnout

There was a lot of talk about well-being and mental health at work in 2022, with topics like quiet quitting and quiet firing trending across platforms. While the insight this provided into the psyche of the working human proved valuable, cases of burnout–characterized by exhaustion, disengagement and reduced professional efficacy–are on the rise.

Extinguishing burnout may seem like a colossal task, but it begins with listening to your talent, figuring out what they value, identifying where you are failing them, and co-creating strategies that enable them to perform at their best. On a parallel path, ensuring that recognition is a defining feature of your company culture will accelerate your objective of tackling burnout. Keep in mind that for recognition to have a lasting impact, it needs to be given regularly, be authentic, and have a 360° scope–meaning that any member of the company, in any location, can publicly acknowledge and appreciate a colleague’s work, attitude or behavior.

With burnout being a major driver of attrition, leaders who account for the human experience and put people first can not only boost productivity and drive performance, but they can begin to create a company culture that attracts world-class talent.

Call for Collaboration

It is no secret that collaboration can help drive business innovation. However, leaders looking to create a working environment that facilitates human interaction will be mistaken in thinking that policies that push people to be in the same place at the same time, or locking in more virtual meetings, will encourage collaboration. On the contrary, this approach only serves to eliminate any sense of autonomy talent may have and add fuel to the burnout fire.

The most effective way to encourage collaboration–while showcasing trust in talent and prioritizing well-being–is to create a company culture that brings people together around a shared purpose. In fact, just a 10% improvement in talent’s connection with the mission or purpose of their organization can decrease turnover and increase profitability.

Leaders can lay the groundwork for collaboration by opening channels of communication that will help them discover the connection between what an individual cares about and the overarching purpose of the company. Bringing the two together will exponentially improve retention rates and drive business growth.

With 65% of talent admitting to rethinking the role of work in life, the value placed on autonomy by leaders can act as one of the strongest motivators for talent staying at a company. This sense of trust will also serve to stamp out cases of burnout and improve levels of engagement. Furthermore, by founding their leadership style on a strategy designed to encourage collaboration and build community around shared purpose, leaders can help companies rise above any challenges the World of Work may bring.

StarMeUp facilitates this process, giving leaders the tools they need to allow for autonomy, prioritize well-being, and foster a sense of connection among talent–no matter the distance between them. By harnessing the power of 360° recognition, active listening and continuous feedback, StarMeUp helps leaders create a human-centric culture that empowers talent and encourages company growth.

Looking to strengthen your leadership skills? Schedule a demo today and discover how StarMeUp can help you meet talent expectations and boost performance.

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